"Any potential deal on DACA has to include robust border security, and by that I don’t mean a wall," Grassley said during a Judiciary Committee hearing on the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

He added that a potential deal pairing a DACA fix with border security could instead include "tactical infrastructure," as well as stricter interior enforcement and the e-verify program, which allows an employer to check if an individual is able to work legally in the United States.

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Grassley has previously acknowledged that any Senate deal would likely not include a border wall. But his comments on Tuesday took on new weight as Republicans struggle to reach a consensus on how to pass a legislative fix for undocumented immigrations brought into the country as children.

The House Homeland Security Committee is expected to take up legislation on Thursday that would provide $10 billion aimed at securing the U.S.-Mexico border, including funding for new wall and fencing construction, border defense technology and aerial surveillance like drones.

But the administration has signaled that it is willing to separate the U.S.-Mexico border wall from the DACA discussions.

That concession infuriated conservatives, who argue Trump is breaking his campaign promise to take a hard line on immigration, including building the wall and deporting roughly 11 million undocumented immigrants.

Any deal will need the support of Senate Democrats to clear Congress. Democrats have warned that they view wall funding or other enforcement, including targeting cities that don't comply with federal immigration laws, as unacceptable for a potential agreement.